A week after arriving at Ord Radama, Malgus was still struggling to take over the capital city Livien Magnus. The massive city was heavily fortified by the Republic forces behind the huge curtains of ray-shields that wrapped around the perimeter of the city.

Although the battle had begun with a more promising outcome, a week into the madness and slaughter Malgus's confidence in winning this war was shaken. As much as they tried to capture the city, the city's ray-shield was stopping them, but it had to be destroyed.

However, Malgus planned his tactic through attrition.

He was certain that with time and more assault, the city would eventually fall.

Although his head was in war-mode, there was another thought that kept coming back to his mind. It was the thought of Satele. He had no choice but to leave her guarded up on the Lindworm dreadnaught while he was fighting this battle. He realized that she was not ready yet to join him in the fight. Her wound started to heal nicely and she was ready to train. However, he still couldn't trust her. He was certain that given half a chance, she would run away and seek asylum within the city. He didn't want to risk losing her.

In the coolness of the morning light, while white puffs of hot steam left his parted lips as he breathed in and out, he meticulously scanned the west side of the city perimeter. He was looking for a weak spot that might allow them to penetrate the shield. As he stood at the edge of the treeline he heard Venemal's voice behind him.

"Malgus." He called out. "There is a message for you."

"From who?" He asked as he turned around and looked at his fellow soldier.

"Lord Angral." He replied.

Taking a deep breath, Malgus approached Venemal and then he asked.

"What is it?"

"The council is displeased with the progress we have made so far." Venemal sourly replied.

"Displeased?" Malgus asked with a hint of irony.

"They believe that by now we should have taken over." Venemal said.

With anger in his voice, Malgus replied. "Maybe they should come here and fight this battle."

"You know this will never happen." Venemal replied with a frown.

"What else?" Malgus impatiently asked.

"They sent Lord Adraas to accompany us."

"Adraas?" He asked with disbelief. "Why would the council send that son of a bitch." Malgus exclaimed. He was perfectly capable of doing his job. He hated the thought that Adraas was coming here. He didn't need his help.

"I know you and Adraas have a long history, but honestly, we need to find another solution to seize the city." Venemal said. "Otherwise soon we would run out of supplies and you and I know that the council is not as forgiving as we all think. They would come after us and hunt us down if we decide to disobey the Emperor's wishes."

Clenching his jaw, Malgus looked at his friend and then he asked.

"When is he coming?"

"He is already here." Venemal replied. Then he added. "On the Lindworm, waiting."

"What?" Malgus exclaimed. He was already here, he thought annoyed, and possibly trying to take over this assignment by reaping the benefits of our hard-earned work.

"Prepare my ship." Malgus ordered.

After exchanging a few more words with Venemal, he headed toward his shuttle.

As soon as he arrived at the dreadnaught, the first thing he wanted to do was to find Adraas and have a talk with him. He needed to establish immediate authority over him, otherwise, this mission can turn ugly very fast, he thought, as he turned the corner to get to the elevator.

When the elevator's door opened, the first thing he noticed was as he stepped onto the ship's bridge was Adraas and Satele talking in front of the immense window. Instant jealousy engulfed him watching them talk. Her back was to him, but as he got closer she turned her head and looked at him.

Her eyes grew wide with amazement as she watched him heading their way.

His metal boots made a loud sound on the polished floor while his dark cape fiercely trailed behind him.

Stopping in front of them, he respectfully nodded his head toward Adraas, and then his eyes landed on Satele. He hadn't seen her in a week, and as he looked at her pretty face, he suddenly realized how much he missed her.

Averting his eyes from her face, he looked at Adraas again and said.

"What an unexpected surprise."

"Indeed it's a surprise." Adraas replied with a sly smile. Then he added. "I wasn't expecting the council to send me here. I was getting very comfortable on Korriban."

"I bet you were." Malgus replied with distaste.

"Your apprentice was just entertaining me." He said with a smile looking at Satele.

"May I have a word with you….alone?" Malgus asked giving Adraas a cold look.

While the man stepped away from her, Satele walked to the window and gazed out. As her eyes landed on the planet, her heart constricted from the pain she felt every time she thought about what was happening down there. She was not looking forward to seeing the devastation of the war and was glad to be left up here. Although she was treated fairly and with respect, still she was a prisoner.

Turning her gaze away from the planet, she looked at the two men engrossed in a serious conversation. While Adraas seemed relaxed and maybe even bored, Malgus looked tense and ready to jump down the other man's throat.

Watching them, Satele could tell how Malgus felt at the moment. As she got to know him better, she was able to tell when he was upset or when he felt irritated or when he felt happy. Yes, happy, she thought, feeling a peculiar sensation coursing through her body. The last kiss they shared in his tub still haunted her thoughts.

His passion and endearment toward her disturbed Satele. Every time he was near she felt confused. She despised this feeling, especially, when he left her behind on the spaceship and went to war for the glory of his Empire. Not a moment went by when she wasn't thinking or worried about him. She didn't understand why this was happening. This unwelcome sensation was new to her and she wished that she could just turn this feeling off for the sake of her soul.

That night while he was in the refresher, she sat on the bed and picked up his journal. Opening the leather-bound book, she started to scan through the pages.

As she read through the first few pages, something caught her eye.

"I will not allow the Jedi to eliminate us by assaulting a secure fortification on overwhelming numbers. The Sith will not repeat the mistakes of Bothawui."

Bothawui? She thought with a frown. What happened there?

Then she heard the shower turning off and quickly, she closed the journal and put it down.

With a towel wrapped around his waist, Malgus stepped out of the refresher and walked up to the closet.

Stepping inside the walk-in closet, he threw down the wet towel and then he put his pants on.

"Are you going to take a shower?" He asked as he walked back into the room.

"I already took one this morning." She replied watching him getting into bed.

Lying down beside her, he turned her way and folded his arm beneath his head. Looking at her, he asked.

"What were you and he talking about?"

"Adraas?" She asked pulling up one of her eyebrows.

"What did he want from you?" He asked again. Instantly, Satele noticed a strong surge of jealousy in the tone of his voice.

Pulling her knees up to her chest, she placed her chin on top of her knees, and as she looked toward the closet, she said.

"He wanted to know if I liked it here."

"That's all?" He asked, watching her intently.

Turning her head toward him, she looked at him, and then she asked.

"Are you jealous?"

Without hesitation, he replied.

"Of course I am."

"Do you think he would steal me from you?" She asked with a mischievous undertone.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, he said.

"You don't know him Satele. He is someone you can never trust."

Then she wanted to change the subject and as she searched his eyes, she asked.

"What happened at Bothawui?"

There was a look of surprise on his stern face, then he looked at the ceiling. In a low voice, he said.

"Disaster. That's what happened there."

"If you keep walking on this path it will happen again." She said looking at his face.

"No Satele." He replied as his eyes landed on her. "I will not make a mistake like that. I'm much better than that."

"Are you?" She asked, searching his eyes.

"What are you trying to say?" He asked as he sat up.

"What you are doing here is wrong, and you know that." Satele replied with a firm tone.

Before he could reply, she resumed. "You are a better man than this."

With a scolding look, he said to her.

"You don't know me Satele. You have no idea where I have been and what I have done."

"Yes, that's true." She replied. "I have no desire to know your past. All I'm asking is that you look inside yourself and find a valid reason for going on with this mindless mission."

"Mindless?" He asked. "I'll show you something that will blow your mind." Saying that he got up and walked to his desk. Taking the datapad off the desk, he walked back and sat down beside her.

Pulling her closer, he turned on the datapad, which brought up a recorded video. The quality of the feed was not the greatest; nevertheless, she was able to see the three men in a metal-walled room. To Satele, it looked like this video footage was recorded on a spaceship. Two of the Sith soldiers she did not recognize, but the one standing in front of them, she did indeed recognize.

To Satele's amazement, a well-known Republic Senator was deep in conversation with the two Sith. As Malgus turned up the volume, she was able to hear them.

"Have you made the preparations?" Senator Krasul asked.

"Yes." One of the Sith replied.

"I knew I could count on you Lord Anglar." The Senator replied. Then he added. "Once the city is taken, I'll give you full control over the remaining population. Make sure that our deal stays intact and over time we both will reap the benefits of this war and the wars to come."

"Your greed is our pleasure." The other Sith said. His voice sounded covetous.

"Very well." The corrupt Senator replied. "Let's make this happen."

Then the video feed abruptly stopped, leaving Satele in complete shock.

"What is this?" She asked baffled.

"This is what I was trying to tell you about your precious and so-called innocent Republic." Malgus replied as he placed the datapad on his nightstand.

"What deal was he talking about? And how did you acquire this video?" Satele asked astonished.

"This video was recorded on one of the Empire's dreadnaughts." Malgus replied. Then he added as he looked at her astonished expression. "Of course the Senator had no idea he was being recorded. This is just leverage that we can use against him and the others if they decide to turn against us."

"Others?" Satele asked with disbelief. "There are others like him?"

"You are so naive my little apprentice." He said with a sly smile.

With a sullen look, she replied. "Don't call me naive and I'm definitely not your apprentice."

"But you will be soon." He said with a grin. "You'll see."

"What gives you the confidence?" She asked with slight anger. She couldn't believe his smug attitude. Now she wished that he stayed down on the planet. If he had stayed away, she would have never seen this disturbing video. She didn't want to believe him about the Senator; however, the footage she had seen was undeniable.

"Look at you." He said while he cracked a smile. "You're already getting upset. Did I upset you?"

"Yes, you did." She replied, feeling the anger building up inside her.

Lifting up his arms to the side, with a mocking tone, he said.

"Strike me down in anger. Let's see what you are made of, little apprentice."

Within seconds, Malgus hit the floor hard as she pushed him off the bed with a powerful blow.

As he started to laugh, her mind went to a dark place and using her Force powers again, she shoved him against the wall, holding him firmly in place.

As she slowly walked closer to him, he looked into her burning gaze, and with a grin, he said.

"You and I have so much in common."

Through gritted teeth, she replied. "You are so delusional."

With a sudden move, she Force grabbed his throat and started to choke him.

His wicked smile swiftly turned into confusion, then fear and then anger.

Using his strength, he pushed away from the wall, and then picking her up, he slammed her body down on the bed. However, she deftly rolled off the bed and sent another powerful Force wave toward him.

He skillfully evaded the attack that crashed into his desk, turning the large furniture upside down.

"That was my desk!" He exclaimed looking at the upturned furniture.

Then before he could say another word she sent another powerful wave toward him, which he swiftly evaded again. However, this time the blast hit his nightstand and in a split second, his nightstand and the datapad were destroyed with a loud crash.

"You." He started. "I'm going to teach you a lesson."

"Only if you catch me." She teased with a maliciously sweet voice.

"Ohhhh." He said with a wicked smile. "Do not tempt me."

Jumping over the bed, he tried to catch her but she evaded him. Then she sprinted toward the closet.

My lightsaber! He angrily thought.

Suddenly the closet door closed in front of her face. As she spun around to take another route, he was already behind her pushing her up against the door.

Holding her up, he placed his right thigh between her legs and pushed against her lower body. At the same time, his hands rendered her arms to her sides, immobilizing her.

Breathing hard and fast, he gazed into her deep blue eyes and before she could mutter a single protest, he crushed his lips to hers.

Feeling her sweet lips on his again was something he had been dreaming of since they left Dromund Kaas. Then he abruptly broke the kiss and while his body held her in place, his mouth traveled to her ear and gently bit down on her earlobe making Satele shudder with pleasure.

Feeling his hard body pressed against hers made Satele's heart rate instantly elevate. When his hungry mouth found her ear, a small moan escaped her parted lips.

"What...are….you...doing?" She panted feeling confused.

"Something I wanted to do for a while now." Malgus replied as he let go of her right arm and covered her right breast with his hand, gently kneading the perfectly shaped firm mound. Through the soft fabric of her nightgown, he pinched the erect nipple making Satele moan louder.

As his mouth found her ear again, and while his warm breath tickled her skin, he whispered into her ear.

"Don't worry you will still be my little innocent padawan, once I'm done with you."

"Done...with me?" Satele stuttered. What do you mean? She wanted to ask but then his lips were on hers again shutting her mouth before she had the chance to speak up.

From her breast, his hand slowly traveled down her body until he reached the bottom of her nightgown. Sliding his hand beneath it, he grabbed hold of her lean thigh and squeezed it hard feeling her sculpted muscles and soft skin beneath his fingertips. Then his hand slid higher up to the juncture of her thighs.

As she felt his hand on her sex, instinctively Satele wanted to squeeze her legs together, but his thigh was in the way and she was unable to close her legs. While her mind was screaming against his actions, her body said otherwise.

As his fingers deftly explored her sensitive spots, Satele felt a sensation that she had never experienced before. This torturously sweet feeling rushed through her like wildfire. Loudly moaning into his mouth, she gradually relaxed her body allowing him to pleasure her.

She feels just perfect, he thought, as his fingers gently rubbed against her sex. Touching her was highly arousing and he needed to keep himself in check. She is not ready for me, not yet, he thought with despair, sucking her lower lip into his mouth.

Then he broke the kiss and looked at her flushed face. Her glazed eyes desperately gazed into his.

While his hand kept on giving her great pleasure, Satele's moans were getting louder and her breathing shallower with every single stroke that turned her private area into molten lava.

This pleasurable sensation made her feel extremely dazed and confused.

Gradually, her innocent peaceful little world began to collapse around her, as he picked up his pace to bring her to her climax.

Clutching at his wide shoulders, she felt small waves of blissful sensations rushing through her lower abdomen, all the way to her toes. This sensation became so strong that she had a hard time keeping her thighs from shaking uncontrollably.

And then when she thought that she couldn't take any more of this extreme sensation, a blinding white light exploded behind her eyelids, followed by an extraordinary feeling that rocked her body to the core. As her mouth formed a silent O, with an astonished face, she stared into his calm complexion. Then a loud pleasurable cry left her mouth, causing some of the furniture to shake and tremble around the room.

When her pulse started to slow down, and her breathing became steadier, reluctantly, he removed his hand, and as he gazed into her dazed complexion, with a small grin he asked.

"Did you like it?"

"What?" She said feeling breathless at the moment. "What did you do to me?" She asked while she tried to stop her legs from shaking.

Letting her go, he walked up to the desk, and using the Force he lifted the large piece of furniture up and placed it back in its place.

Then he heard a loud knock on the door.

"My Lord." One of his soldier's muffled voice drifted through the door. "Is everything alright in there?"

"Yes Private." He replied. Turning around, he looked at Satele and said. "Everything is alright.

"Very well my Lord." The soldier curtly replied and then he walked away from the bedchamber.

The aftermath of her orgasm was still lingering within her trembling body as she slowly staggered to the bed and sat down. She couldn't believe what he just did to her. It was an experience that she will never forget. And worst of all, she somehow yearned for more.

So, this is how the dark side seduces its prey? She asked herself staring at the floor.

Then she felt his hand on her shoulder. Turning her around, he looked into her confused eyes and said.

"Tomorrow I have to return to the planet."

As she averted her gaze from his eyes, he placed his fingers beneath her chin and lifted her face up toward him.

"There is nothing to be ashamed of." He said in a soft voice. "What I did was to demonstrate to you what can also be part of our mutual alliance."

Looking at her face, he was certain that she was still fighting her inner battles. Soon, he thought, yes, soon she'll become one with me, and then no one, not even the Emperor himself would be able to stop us.

The next day, they headed down to Ord Radama. While the glowing hologram of the city expanded above the table, Malgus and Venemal quietly listened to Adraas's unconventional plan to take over the capital. Every minute or so, they kept glancing at each other hearing his battle strategy.

Then Malgus spoke up.

"I don't think this plan will work, Adraas. The Republic forces are well prepared behind those walls. Most likely your droids will be obliterated within minutes by their infantry. I think it's a bad idea."

With a frown, Adraas looked at Malgus and asked.

"How long have you been fighting on this planet?"

"Not long." Malgus replied with distaste folding his arms in front of his chest.

"Your not long stay," Adraas started with an ironic tone. "Already cost the Empire large amounts of supplies and credits. My plan will work, otherwise, the council wouldn't have sent me here."

Malgus chose not to argue with him. It was pointless, and the only thing he would have accomplished was to anger himself.

Over Malgus's silence, Adraas felt a momentary triumph. He was certain that with the help of his battle droids, he would siege the walls and successfully take over the city.

After they arrived, and not wasting much time, Adraas ordered his platoons of Mk. I and II Sith war droids to attack the city's south gate. He believed that was the weakest point in the enemy's defense system.

As the herd of battle droids slowly paced toward the city, Malgus and Venemal critically looked after them.

"As we have already discussed," Malgus turned to Venemal. "Get the rest of the men and let's head to the western wall."

"Yes, Malgus." Venemal replied. Then he gave orders to march to the west side of the city.

As it was predicted by Malgus, as soon as the droids approached the city, within minutes, the enemy opened fire and one-by-one they destroyed the advancing droid army.

While the Republic forces were focused on the incoming droids, with the help of his commandoes, Venemal successfully breached the western wall and blew a hole from the inside, allowing Malgus and his legion to enter the capital.

At that moment, Malgus was glad for Adraas's presence. The distraction that he provided was a perfect opportunity for him to finally claim the city. Within an hour they fought their way through the city and disabled the shield generator. To secure the final victory, Malgus ordered airstrikes to destroy insurgent shelters within the city.

When the dust finally settled, hundreds upon hundreds of dead bodies littered the city grounds. While Malgus and Venemal inspected the damage, they came upon Adraas and his remaining droids as they entered the city from the south.

Behind his mask, Adraas was fuming. When he realized the failure of his plan, a fit of extreme anger rushed through him. Watching his droids being destroyed was the hardest thing for him to witness. However, as he came upon Malgus and Venemal his anger fueled up again, which agonizingly burned him from the inside. He knew he had failed, and the thought of being humiliated made him bitter and furious. This was one thing he couldn't deal with. He would not allow himself to be shamed by the other Sith. He came here to be victorious and not to be disgraced.

I will make sure I'm victorious, he thought with a sly grin, as he stopped in front of Malgus.

"I see you are still alive." Malgus said looking at Adraas.

"Why wouldn't I be alive?" He asked. His voice muffled by his peculiar mask.

Malgus always hated talking to someone who hid behind a mask. He thought of them as untrustworthy cowards.

Nevermind, Malgus sourly thought. He felt exhausted and was not in the mood to get into a conversation with him.

Turning away from him, he started to walk away when Adraas yelled after him.

"Without my help, you would have never taken this city!

Stopping in his tracks, Malgus turned around and as he faced him, he yelled back.

"Go and report it then!" With slight cynicism, he added. "You are great at that."

Taking a few deep breaths, Adraas steadied himself and then turning around; he stormed off and headed toward his ship.

On his way to the Lindworm, his thoughts were on Malgus. He hated the man and wished him dead. He had hoped he would have died in the battle. However, the battle didn't work out in his favor and this fueled his anger immensely. Landing his ship in the hangar, he took the elevator and headed toward his chamber to report on his victory.

In the elevator, while he watched the blinking numbers of buttons, suddenly he had an idea.

Stopping the elevator on a different floor, he stepped out and walked toward Malgus's chamber.

He knew she was inside and alone.

Before I leave I will have some fun, he eagerly thought as he swiftly approached the chamber's door.

There were two Imperial soldiers guarding the door. Two insignificant idiots, he thought as he pulled out his weapon and within seconds the two soldiers were dead. Quickly, he hid their bodies in one of the hallway closets. He knew Malgus would not be back for a few hours, and he wanted to take his time enjoying his little padawan for himself.

Typing in the code that he had acquired from a trustworthy source, he opened the door and stepped inside.

To be continued...